The prior art has seen various devices, methods and adaptations for internal combustion engines designed to reduce the discharge of various nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons and other pollutants into the atmosphere.
These attempts range from merely treating exhaust emmisions after combustion but before release into the atmosphere, to attempts to improve the efficiency of the actual combustion itself in order to accomplish a cleaner burn and thus reduce emmisions. In this latter catagory, some prior attempts to effect this result have included atomization of the fuel into fine particles, the heating and/or cooling of the fuel, or other means to finely balance the air/fuel ratio in the mixture in order to provide for a more efficient combustion.
Of particular interest herein is the air treating device for fuel burning engines, U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,595, to the present inventor, wherein a means was provided to subject air to ultra violet rays and heat prior to its combination with fuel and subsequent combustion. It was found with the above device that certain disadvantages resulted from the requirement of additional electrical generation means as well as the need for the attachment of a relatively cumbersome apparatus to the engine for pre-heating.
The improved air treatment device of the present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages of the above device, while at the same time increasing the effeciency of operation of the air treatment utilizing existing energy sources found in the vehicle, and providing a means of more effeciently heating and treating the intake air to improve engine combustion.